ANTH624 - DOMESTIC LIFE OF THE COMMONERS IN ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS

In this seminar course, students will learn what household archaeology is and how daily life of the commoners in ancient civilizations is studied, based primarily on household material culture excavated from different parts of the world. Through such archaeological data, we will examine and compare case-studies from three distinct regions - East Asia, the Near East, and Mesoamerica.
Strong emphasis is given to selected cultural aspects such as construction and maintenance of houses, household utensils and installations, daily food and body ornaments, and domestic burials. The course aims to provide students with a strong foundation for further anthropology-, archaeology- and history-related courses.